by L A Cotton
The Fascini had positioned themselves as one of Verona’s most powerful and influential families. The legal union of Scott and Arianne, and the business merger with Capizola Holdings would give them the resources, money, and power to destroy Roberto from the inside before going after the Marchetti.
“Why now?” I blurted out.
“Now is as good a time as any. As far as I’m aware, the Fascini aren’t an organized group. It’s just Mike and was just his father before that. But he’s set himself up as the perfect Trojan Horse.”
“Something doesn’t add up. There are other ways to make the Family suffer. Other ways to make the Capizola suffer.” The pieces were there but I couldn’t make them fit.
“Maybe Michael tried and failed? Maybe he realized he couldn’t do it alone?”
“Wait...” The pieces started moving, zipping around my head until they began to slow down, fitting together like a map.
Until everything zeroed in and became crystal clear.
“I don’t like that look,” Tommy said, his brows bunched together.
“I think I know,” the words came out a strangled whisper. “I think I know what happened.”
Chapter 10
Arianne
“This place is incredible,” I said, getting comfortable on the huge soft sectional dividing the open plan living space.
There was a big real fire, the crackle of flames and smell of charred wood filling the air. It was rustic and homey and unlike anywhere I’d ever been before.
“Yeah, it’s really something.” Nora tracked Enzo’s movements as he pulled Matteo out of earshot.
“Don’t worry about them,” Alessia said. “I’m so glad you’re here. Both of you.” She smiled at Nora. “I don’t get to do this much, hang out with girlfriends.”
“What about your friends at school?” Nora asked.
“School is... it’s not always easy. Those three had it easy being Marchetti. But it isn’t the same for us girls. Guys stay away because they’re scared, and girls usually want to use us as a steppingstone to get to the guys.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” She shrugged. “It could be worse. If you two are sticking around,” her eyes went to her cousins, “you could at least make yourselves useful.”
Enzo’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “Don’t push your luck, Sia.”
“Relax, E.” Matteo slapped him on the back. “We’re here now, we might as well kick back.” He moved over to the kitchen and yanked open the refrigerator. “Bingo.”
“This is bullshit.” Enzo dropped onto one of the armchairs and pulled a blunt out of his pocket.
“Why did you come if you didn’t want to be here?” I asked.
His eyes snapped to mine, hard and assessing. “You’re Nicco’s girl. And he’s our...” Enzo pressed his lips into a thin line.
“What my cousin is trying to say is that you’re important to Nicco and Nicco is important to them.” Alessia flicked her gaze to Enzo. “Would it kill you be nice, E?”
He grumbled something before putting the blunt between his lips and lighting the end. The bitter scent lingered in the air, but no one seemed to mind.
“What are you hiding back there?” Nora got up and went over to Matteo. “I’ll take one of those.” She plucked a beer from his hands.
“You’re not old enough.” He teased.
“And you are?” She raised a brow.
“Touché.”
“Ari, babe, there’s beer or soda?”
“I’ll take a soda,” I replied, “please.”
“I’ll take a beer,” Alessia said.
“No,” her cousins barked in unison, and I smothered a chuckle.
“Are they always like this?”
“Worse.” She rolled her eyes. “I’m surprised they haven’t been trailing after you around campus.”
“Actually, I haven’t seen them around at all,” Nora said.
Matteo glanced around Enzo who shook his head.
“What?” I asked noticing the two of them acting cagey.
“Just because you can’t see us doesn’t mean we’re not around.” Matteo uncapped his beer and took a long pull, but I didn’t miss the guilt shining in his eyes.
“So you have been around?” I narrowed my eyes. “Why haven’t we seen you?”
“Nicco thought it would make things easier on you if we kept a low profile.”
“That makes sense, I guess.” My chest tightened. The gossip mill was hot with rumors about the fight, about Tristan being in the hospital, and Nicco’s sudden disappearance.
“Jeez, if I’d have known we were going to talk about this stuff all night, I wouldn’t have bothered.” Alessia grinned at me.
“Sorry. It’s just been a lot to process.”
“I know. But you’re here and you’re safe and I really hoped we could have some good old-fashioned girls’ fun.”
Enzo groaned, running a hand through his dark hair.
“You got a problem with that?” Alessia huffed.
“If it’s going to be like the time you and Bella tried to braid my hair then yeah, I’ve got a fucking problem with it.”
“Come on, E,” Matteo added, “that shit was funny.”
“Maybe you like getting your nails painted and hair braided but it’s not exactly my kind of thing.”
“You really did that to them?” Nora couldn’t contain her amusement.
“We were like twelve. Nicco let me practice putting lip gloss on him.”
Enzo scoffed. “We held him down and let you go at him.”
Alessia rolled her eyes at him. “Your point?”
“You had him wrapped around your little finger.” Matteo shifted in the chair. “And then you grew boobs.”
“Gross!”
“What? It’s the truth. Having a younger sister, knowing what I know about the world, it’s enough to send me to an early grave.”
“My older brother used to say he had two main jobs in the world,” Nora said. “Making me smile and breaking the legs of any guy who ever hurt me.”
Tension crackled in the air as she glanced over at Enzo who was focused solely on the wisps of smoke rising off his blunt.
“Sounds like my kind of guy,” Matteo tipped the neck of his bottle at her. “What say you, Enzo?”
He grumbled again.
“Did your brother go to MU?”
“He’s at UPenn, chasing dreams of pro-football, fame, and fortune.”
“Enzo has a decent throwing arm.”
“Fuck this, I need some air.” Enzo got up and stalked to the door beyond the kitchen.
“Did you have to bring him?” Alessia grumbled. “He’s so—”
“Miserable?” Nora smirked.
“That’s cute.” Matteo narrowed his eyes at her. “Pretending you don’t care.”
“I don’t.”
“We’ll see.” He got up. “Can I trust the three of you while I’m gone?”
Alessia glared at him, and his shoulders shook with quiet laughter. “I’ll be back.” He took off after Enzo.
“Thank God. I thought they were never going to leave.”
“Leave? But Matteo said—”
“Relax. They won’t go anywhere. There’s a fire pit out back, some benches. It’s pretty cool.”
Nora looked longingly at the door.
“Down, girl,” I chuckled.
“Wait a second, you and... Enzo?” Alessia balked. “I did not see that one coming. Have the two of you, ya know?”
“What?” Nora feigned surprise. “No. No!”
“But she wants to.” I grinned.
“Word of warning, my cousin doesn’t date. Hell, I’m not even sure he hooks up with girls in the traditional sense of the word. Enzo is... complicated.”
“What’s his story anyway?” Nora kicked her legs up and stretched out over the chair, making herself at home.
Alessia folded her legs up in front of her. “My Uncle Vincenzo, Enzo’s da
d, well he’s kind of a hard ass. It was just the two of them growing up. My mom practically helped raise him. But then she...” Alessia swallowed and I reached over, grabbing her hand and squeezing gently.
“It was different for Nicco and Matteo. They had a strong female influence. They had sisters. But Enzo... he only had himself.”
“That’s kind of sad.” Nora’s eyes flicked to the door again, a look of longing there.
“Yeah. It hardened him for sure. His dad has always enjoyed bouncing from woman to woman, and I guess Enzo is the same. A lot of the men in the Family don’t settle down.”
“You make it sound so normal.”
“It is normal, to me, at least. Our family has strong ideals when it suits them. Take me for example; you think any guy is ever going to be good enough in Nicco’s eyes? Or my father’s?”
“That’s... rough.” Nora grimaced.
“It’s bullshit. They make out that their women are the most precious thing in the world but then most of them are screwing around with goomars or using them as a punching bag.”
My heart sank, and I snatched my hand back, clutching the cushion in my lap.
“Shit, Ari, I didn’t mean... Nicco would never do that to you. Not after what happened with our mom.” Alessia gave me a weak smile. “I should probably stop talking now. Tonight was supposed to reassure you, not send you running for the hills.”
“I’m not going anywhere.” I smiled back. “What was she like?”
“The best. She was just a good person, you know? She was always feeding a house full of people. Loved to take care of everyone. And my brother, he doted on her.”
She dropped her gaze, pretending to pick her nails. “I love my daddy, but he’s a mean drunk with a short fuse. He thinks I don’t know about the bruises. About all the nights Mom spent crying herself to sleep. But I see things. They think I don’t, but I do. I always have.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” Her shoulders lifted in a half-shrug as she met my gaze again. “It could be worse. In this life, it could always be worse. But I never saw it coming. One day, Mom was there, the strong resilient woman she’d always been, and the next... she was gone.”
“Do you know where she went?”
“She just vanished. Wherever she is, she doesn’t want to be found.” Sadness clung to Alessia’s words.
I didn’t know what it was like to lose a parent, but I did know what it was like to have your world ripped apart, to discover everything you thought you knew was a lie.
“I hated her for a long time, but I’ve made my peace with it.”
Her expression said otherwise, but I didn’t push. Alessia was still young. She still had to find her way in the world.
I’d felt the same when I’d arrived at MU, but everything was different now.
I was different.
The vibrations of my cell phone startled me. “It’s Nicco,” I said, digging it from my pocket.
“What does it say?” Alessia sat straighter, peering over to try to see. I pulled it closer to my chest.
Nora chuckled. “Trust me, you don’t wanna know.”
“Nor!” I shrieked, the same time Alessia grumbled, “Ew, gross. That’s my brother.”
Waving them both off, I read the text.
Found out some things today. We need to talk, but I want to do it in person.
You can’t come back here. It isn’t safe.
I know. That’s why I’m going to arrange for Luis to bring you to me. But we can’t tell anyone else.
“Ari, what is it?” Nora asked.
I hesitated. I knew better than most people that secrets and lies only led to heartache. Even if you thought you were protecting someone, even if they were told out of love.
I have to tell Nora. I won’t lie to her.
Fine. But only Nora.
When?
Tomorrow. I’ll set it up. I love you, Bambolina. Be safe and say hello to Alessia for me.
“Nicco says hey.”
“Tell him he should come home soon.”
“I wish he could.” My heart ached.
“How is your cousin... Tristan, right?”
“There’s no change. His condition is stable, and doctors say it could be any day now. It’s just a waiting game.”
“God, I’m so sorry.” She clutched her throat. “I can’t even imagine what that must be like... if it was Nicco...”
“But it wasn’t.” I gave her a tight smile. “And what happened was just a terrible accident.”
“I really hope he gets better.”
“Yeah, me too.”
Tristan, despite his serious lack in judgment, was still family. I didn’t want him to die. I wanted him to wake up and realize the truth about my father, about Scott.
I wanted him to do the right thing.
“Wow, we really know how to party, huh?” Nora said around a smile.
“Oh, I don’t know,” I glanced between her and Alessia. “This is nice.”
“Yeah.” Alessia beamed. “It is.”
WE STAYED AT THE CABIN for hours, talking and laughing. Matteo and Enzo eventually joined us, although Enzo had worn a scowl for most of the night. Luis and Jay drove us back to University Hill. Nora was half asleep by the time we made our way up to the apartment.
“I’ll see you in the morning,” she murmured, staggering toward her room.
“I’m making hot cocoa if you want to join me?” I said to Luis as he hovered in the doorway.
“Aren’t you tired?”
“I haven’t been sleeping well,” I admitted.
“Nightmares?” He looked concerned.
“My demons don’t haunt me in my sleep, Luis.”
They were real.
Circling me like hungry piranhas waiting for their moment to strike.
“I wouldn’t say no to a cocoa.” He came inside and closed the door.
It was late, and I probably should have gone to bed given that I needed to return to classes tomorrow, but there was too much on my mind to switch off.
After making us each a mug of cocoa, sprinkling marshmallows on mine, I went to Luis. He’d made himself comfortable on the end of our couch. “Here you go,” I said, handing him the mug.
“Thank you. Did you enjoy tonight?”
I sat at the opposite end of the couch, curling my body into the soft fabric. “Alessia is a sweetheart and Matteo seems nice. I still haven’t made my mind up about Enzo.”
“He’s hardened. Most guys are in this life.”
“You speak like you have experience?”
“Just because your family decided to walk a different path doesn’t mean we don’t get our hands dirty.” His smile turned grim.
“What does that mean?”
I’d seen my father’s true colors, but was Luis right? Was the entire Capizola empire built on lies and scandal?
“Monsters wear many faces, Arianne. Your father set out to take back La Riva and Romany Square from the Marchetti, but it was never his to take.”
I stared into my cocoa, watching the marshmallows bubble and melt. “Is that why you’re helping me? Because you don’t agree with my father’s ideals? You’re his most trusted security guard.”
Luis twisted his body toward me, letting out a long sigh. “I’m helping you because it’s the right thing to do. Because no child should have to pay for the sins of their forefathers. This fight, the bad blood between the Marchetti and Capizola isn’t yours to bear, Arianne. And what Fascini did to you... I will never forgive myself. It happened on my watch. I want to believe your father didn’t know what Scott would do that night, but he knew something would happen.” His words shook with anger.
“I never had children. My ex-wife and I, we tried. Tried for years. But it wasn’t meant to be. So watching you grow, witnessing the young woman you have become, everything you have endured, I guess it spoke to me. To that part of me never fulfilled. I have served your father for the better part of twenty years, A
rianne. But I serve you now. And if that means I serve the Marchetti, then so be it.”
“What will happen if my father finds out?”
A dark shadow passed over his face. “Let’s hope it does not come to that.” He took a sip of his cocoa. “I didn’t want to say anything, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to get any sleep if I don’t. Meeting Nicco tomorrow is a risk, Arianne. One I’m not sure you should be taking yet.”
“I have to go.”
“I know.” He rubbed his jaw. “But if I’m going to protect you, that means being honest with you. And I think it’s a bad idea.”
“You don’t want to take me?”
“I didn’t say that. But there’s a reason Nicco left Verona County. If Mike or Scott find out...”
“They won’t. We’ll make sure they don’t.”
I was going, even if Luis didn’t take me.
I needed to see Nicco, more than I needed my next breath. Every second without him here, I slipped further under the deep waters I’d found myself in.
He gave me a sharp nod. Disapproval glittered in his eyes, but Luis didn’t protest any further. “I’ll make the arrangements. You’ll need a cover story. Something I can feed to your father, something that will keep Scott off your back.”
“I won’t have to worry about Scott. He’ll be at practice with the team, they have a big game coming up. He’ll be distracted with that.”
“That makes things easier.”
“Nora has invited her friend Dan over tomorrow evening, so I’ll make myself scarce in my room studying.” I gave him a pointed look.
“Very well. I’ll get our story straight with the rest of the team.”
“Thank you, for everything. I don’t know what I’d do if it wasn’t for you and Nora.”
“Something tells me you’d survive. You have great strength, Arianne. Never forget that. I know things feel desperate now, that you can’t see a way out, but you always have a choice. It’s just figuring out which battles to fight.”
“I won’t marry him.”
I’d rather die.
“I have no intention of ever letting you walk down the aisle toward that asshole. But Antonio needs time to figure out a plan. Your father has always managed to keep his hands clean, but I think we can only assume Mike Fascini will go to any lengths to get what he wants.”